Numerous gastrointestinal diseases can be treated by implantation of medical devices in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. These diseases include Type II diabetes, obesity, GERD, anastomotic leaks, fistulas and ulcerative colitis. A wide variety of devices exist to treat these diseases including stents, sleeves and valves. One challenge in attaching treatment devices to the GI tract is migration. The causes of migration are multi-fold. First, the mucosal layer of the GI tract frequently soughs off and renews, limiting the ability of attaching devices long-term in the duodenum via attachment to the mucosa. Second, peristaltic motion in the GI tract makes implants prone to migration. In addition, digestive enzymes in the GI tract can degrade many implanted materials.
What is needed is a prosthesis that provides for both short-term and long term anchoring of a barrier in the GI tract.